Contents and arrangement of written work

Title pages and cover sheets
Abstracts and summaries
Statement of Ethics Approval
Acknowledgements
Table of Contents
List of Figures, List of Tables, List of Abbreviations
Main text
Appendices
References/Works Cited/Bibliography

The typical contents of academic written work are generally arranged in the sequence displayed below. Note that not all elements will need to be included in all assignments; inclusion will depend on the length and type of the particular assignment and the requirements of the lecturer or School.

Title pages and cover sheets

Some Schools provide a pre-printed cover sheet, which you should fill out as instructed and attach to the front of your work.

Some Schools or some lecturers may require you to create a title page to be used in place of (or in addition to) a cover sheet. These should display the following details:

Unit code and name
Title/topic of the work
Name and student number (for group work, list information for all members)
Lecturer and/or tutor name, and tutorial group time if appropriate
Date submitted

Note that work submitted through a School assignment box may require a submission slip in addition to a cover sheet and/or title page.

Abstracts and summaries

Assignments often require a summary of the work. Depending on the format of the assignment, this summary may be referred to as the 'abstract', 'synopsis', 'summary' or 'executive summary'. It is important to understand that an abstract or summary should not act as an introduction in disguise. A good way to compose an effective abstract is to wait until you have finished writing, and use the final structure to map out a summary.

Abstracts or summaries should provide an outline of the following key areas:

Topic or problem being investigated
Main argument
Conclusions reached

Abstracts in practical assignments or research papers may need to outline other key areas, and so cover the following points:

Rationale for research or study
Objectives
Methods or procedures used
Results
Conclusions

An abstract or summary is typically 100 to 200 words long and should be written in connected prose (proper sentences). It is usually presented as a single paragraph. The abstract or summary should be presented on a separate page (or the title page, if so instructed).

Executive summaries are provided for business reports that include conclusions or recommendations intended to be executed (acted on). In a 'real life' setting, such reports would be presented to an organisation's executives. An executive summary includes the actual recommendations made in the report and the reasons (in brief) why these were made. Executive summaries are often formatted in sections with numbered headings.

Sample abstracts are shown below.

Sample of an abstract for an essay or paper

Abstract

Students with a disability face significant obstacles to equal participation in higher education. A review of recent literature has revealed three major barriers to equitable participation in higher education for students with a disability: difficulties in accessing campus facilities; feelings of isolation; and lack of structured support from teaching and administrative staff. Recent studies in this area have suggested that these three factors often coexist, forming a single, and often impenetrable, barrier. Higher education providers must investigate the extent to which barriers exist in their own institutions, and design and implement effective policies that will address and remove them. In addition, students, education providers and relevant disability support groups must work collaboratively and proactively to ensure students with a disability are provided with equitable access to higher education.

Sample of an abstract for a practical report

Experiment 1 SC614 - Inorganic Chemistry

Title: Synthesis of a copper complex Tetraamminecopper sulphate [Cu(NH3)4]SO42H2O followed by full characterisation.

Abstract:

An intensely royal-blue complex of copper and ammonia was prepared by the action of excess 2M ammonia solution on a solution of copper sulphate. This study was conducted to identify the unknown product. The solid product was isolated by filtration and qualitative analysis showed the presence of: copper (tests with NaOH, NH3, KI, Fe and Cupron Reagent), ammonia (treated with NaOH and test gas by smell and with litmus) and sulphate (white precipitate with Ba2+). Quantitative analysis gave the following composition:

Cu: 24.09% (electrochemical precipitation on Pt cathode)

NH3: 25.83% (Kjeldahl method)

SO4: 36.42% (gravimetric by BaSO4 precipitation)

H2O: 13.66% (by difference)

The formula of the complex is [Cu(NH3)4]SO42H2O. The synthesis produced a uniform, free flowing intensely blue powder shown to be reasonably pure product by quantitative analysis.

Sample of an executive summary for a business report

Executive Summary

Smythe and Smythe Consultants have been contracted to assess and make recommendations regarding the financial performance of the Chemicals Division of a medium sized company, Mineral Products Ltd. Divisional management have specified two financial performance goals for the forecast budget period. These goals are:

To achieve a minimum of 20% increase in gross sales revenue.
2. To achieve not less than 15% before-tax profit margin.

To assist in the evaluation and recommendations we have developed an Excel model to determine the merit of specific actions, including product mix alterations, to achieve these goals. The model, and the assumptions built into it, are detailed in the report and may be used to demonstrate other financial scenarios which management may wish to consider.

Our findings are summarised as follows:

After constructing a profit forecast for the budget period it was evident that the financial goals outlined above are unable to be met with the current product mix without a significant gain in market share. Sales revenue growth of 9% and a net profit margin of 11% were calculated - both of which fall short of the above goals.
An assessment of the effect of market share gains on the two financial goals was undertaken. This indicated that a market share of more than 22% would be needed to achieve the financial goals. It also became apparent that increases in market share above that figure would be detrimental to the net profit margin. Marketing and variable expenses would increase significantly with increases in market share and begin to erode profit.
However, changes to product mix would have considerable merit. Category 1 products have a higher contribution margin and a greater emphasis on those products would have a very positive effect on profit. The largest profit and highest net profit margin would be achieved at a product mix of at least 60% of Category 1 products at the current market share of 15%. This would generate a 16% net profit margin but sales growth would still fall short of the target specified.
An increase in market share to 22% with maintenance of product mix to at least 20% Category 1 products would achieve the Chemicals Division's financial goals.

Our further recommendation is that total profit maximisation should also be included in the company's financial goals. Whilst this is not one of the targets that management are currently considering, it is one that has merit. This can be achieved with a market share of 19% and an alteration in the product mix to a situation where Category 1 products comprise 25% of the sales mix.

Statement of Ethics Approval

If your work involved research that required approval from an ethics committee, a statement to this effect will need to be included.

Acknowledgements

It may be appropriate to acknowledge academic or personal assistance in completing an assignment. A statement of acknowledgement should be specific as to names and type of assistance, and it should be simple and concise. The statement should be presented on a separate page either after the title page or before the bibliography or reference list.

Where a report or research paper is organised under section or chapter headings, a table of contents may be appropriate. The table of contents should be presented on a separate page. List all major sections, headings and any appendices, and show the beginning page numbers for each listed part.

List of Figures, List of Tables, List of Abbreviations

Depending on the length and type of assignment, one or more lists (figures, tables, abbreviations) may need to be included. Each list should provide the page number of each item listed. Note that the wording of entries should correspond with the wording used for the items in the main text. If listing abbreviations, list only those likely to be unknown to the reader.

Main text

The main text should contain (at least) an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Depending on the length and type of the work, these three parts may be presented as separate sections (e.g., as in a report), or as an undivided sequence of logically ordered paragraphs (e.g., as in an essay). Specific requirements for content and organisation will be provided in the individual task or unit description.

Appendices

Some supporting material (e.g., sample questionnaires, confidentiality forms, protocols) may not be appropriate or convenient to include in the main text. This material should be included as appendices at the end of your work.

Each appendix should be given a descriptive title. Where there is more than one appendix, each should be given a distinguishing letter or number (e.g., 'Appendix 1', 'Appendix 2'; or 'Appendix A', 'Appendix B').

References/Works Cited/Bibliography

Every source cited in the work should be given a full citation in an alphabetically arranged list at the end of the work. The title and organisation of this list will depend on the citation style being followed. (For more, see Citation systems and styles.)